Monday, July 4, 2011

Terrific Two!



Since the day he decided that barely more than half the normal gestational period was enough for him, Bryce has challenged the conventional way of doing things. Though that first act of rebellion sorely vexed us, we're quite pleased that he's decided to forgo the terrible twos in favor of the terrific twos.

Lung disease? What lung disease? There was a spell of wheeziness and a perpetually runny nose earlier this Spring, but we suspect that may have been allergies. At his two-year check up last week, the pediatrician said, "His lungs sound excellent, how many steroid treatments are you giving him each day?" Steroids? What steroids? The doctor was flabbergasted.




He's done some catching up in the growth department, but in some areas more than others. At 22 months adjusted, he was 33.25 inches tall, weighed 24.1 pounds and his head was 48.5 cm around, which puts him in the 32nd, 11th and 50th percentile, respectively. Although his big brain will serve him well in the information age, the doctor was a bit concerned about the disparity between height and weight. Bryce is typically an excellent eater and "stout" is rarely used to describe micropreemies, but we'd also like to see him put on some weight. On his second (actual) birthday, he weighed 23.5 pounds; Logan weighed the same on his first!



One of our biggest challenges these days is communication. On his second birthday (scarcely a month ago), Bryce had one word that he used spontaneously - "Uh oh." Both Bryce's pediatrician and his speech therapists agree that he is well behind, so he has been going to speech therapy two to four times a week. Fortunately, this is an area where we've seen great progress. As of today, he has at least six more words: "Mama", "Dada", "All Done", "Go", "Hat" and "Please." He only pronounces the consonants in the first two - the last four are pronounced "ahh uhh", "ohh", "aah", and "eeee." He'll imitate many more words (vowels only), and we suspect he has more that we just can't understand. Expressive communication will probably be a challenge for Bryce for some time to come, but we're thrilled that he's made so much progress lately. Watching him toddle towards me at full speed, arms outstretched, exclaiming, "Dada, Dada, Dada," is an effective salve for even the longest day.



Most of all, Bryce is a very content child. He usually sleeps through the night, and in the morning he's ready to take on the world. He doesn't like to be constrained, but if left to roam in the playroom, the driveway or the backyard, he nearly always has a gleam in his eye and a smile on his face.




Thanks to everyone who has supported us during the last two years, and we expect more good things to come!